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Woodturning (rec.crafts.woodturning) To discuss tools, techniques, styles, materials, shows and competitions, education and educational materials related to woodturning. All skill levels are welcome, from art turners to production turners, beginners to masters. |
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#1
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
I started making some inserted bit hollowing tools and it was so easy I
couldn't stop. Now I have a pot full! Half inch shafts, 3/16 in. bits, maple handles with copper tubing ferrules, but I need to gussy them up before giving to turning friends. Might be a hopeless task and turners will just turn away, but maybe blackening or bluing and polishing the shafts would make them presentable. I've never blackened cold rolled bar and need advice on a cheap and simple way, if that's possible. I've heard of kits that employ cold methods for black oxide. I'm a pre-newbie in all this and need advice and/or a referral. Also any other ideas re making my ugly ducklings into swans? TIA, Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
#2
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
Arch
you could try gun bluing. depending on the length of time left on the metal you can vary the coloration. James Arch wrote: I started making some inserted bit hollowing tools and it was so easy I couldn't stop. Now I have a pot full! Half inch shafts, 3/16 in. bits, maple handles with copper tubing ferrules, but I need to gussy them up before giving to turning friends. Might be a hopeless task and turners will just turn away, but maybe blackening or bluing and polishing the shafts would make them presentable. I've never blackened cold rolled bar and need advice on a cheap and simple way, if that's possible. I've heard of kits that employ cold methods for black oxide. I'm a pre-newbie in all this and need advice and/or a referral. Also any other ideas re making my ugly ducklings into swans? TIA, Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
#3
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
Hi Arch, get out your friendly Machinery's Handbook, most any edition, and
check the section "Coloring Metals". You will have several choices there but not too many are home friendly, mostly because of the higher temperature required to finish the process. You might also contact your local metal plater and ask what they would charge to "blacken" them for you. I realise however, given your ancestry, that paying for something you could do for yourself is probably not acceptable.......(G) "Arch" wrote in message ... I started making some inserted bit hollowing tools and it was so easy I couldn't stop. Now I have a pot full! Half inch shafts, 3/16 in. bits, maple handles with copper tubing ferrules, but I need to gussy them up before giving to turning friends. Might be a hopeless task and turners will just turn away, but maybe blackening or bluing and polishing the shafts would make them presentable. I've never blackened cold rolled bar and need advice on a cheap and simple way, if that's possible. I've heard of kits that employ cold methods for black oxide. I'm a pre-newbie in all this and need advice and/or a referral. Also any other ideas re making my ugly ducklings into swans? TIA, Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
#4
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
Arch wrote:
I've never blackened cold rolled bar and need advice on a cheap and simple way, if that's possible. I've heard of kits that employ cold methods for black oxide. I'm a pre-newbie in all this and need advice and/or a referral. Also any other ideas re making my ugly ducklings into swans? TIA, Arch This is something I should try for myself before giving advice, but the idea just popped into my head-- Induce a layer of surface rust on the tools (closed container & salt water?) then use the Rust Convertor stuff or whatever it's called, for auto bodies. It converts rust to a black oxide. Then buff it with a scotchpad, to make it look halfway nice. The bluing method used for guns and such was originally done first by browning the surface, which was actually a fine surface rust, then boiling in water which turned the oxide blue. At least that's what I remember--can't find the book I read it in (one of Guy Lautard's Machinist's Bedside Readers) Ken Grunke SW Wisconsin http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/ Member, Coulee Region Woodturners AAW chapter http://www.crwoodturner.com/ -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
#6
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
Thanks all,
Ken I'll try boiling a piece of rusty steel, if it doesn't darken, at least it shouldn't crack....maybe a LDD soak? Bertie, email me when convenient. Arch Fortiter, http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings |
#7
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
Bertie Pittman wrote in message ... On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 16:20:43 -0400, (Arch) wrote: I started making some inserted bit hollowing tools and it was so easy I couldn't stop. Now I have a pot full! Half inch shafts, 3/16 in. bits, Hey Arch, I doubt that any of your friends would turn away and not want one of your tools. I sure wouldn't but if you wanted to simply polish them then you should be able to rig up a sewn cloth buffing wheel with some rouge or other buffing compounds and see if the shafts won't polish up. Bertie Nor would I resist one being pressed in my cold, inactive woodturning hand! Bertie! I don't think you understand the nature of this group. What you propose is far too simple a plan for finishing these archetype hollowing tools! I suggest you do a google with the search term "Rube Goldberg" and do some studying on what is expected as answers for such requests! *G* Leif |
#8
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Making an ugly tool presentable (sometimes appearance matters)
One 65 degree black product is Instablak 333 from epi.com.
Derek |
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